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1. Arts: the critical faculty

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Table of Contents

1. Arts: the critical faculty
    1.1. Faculty objectives
    1.2. Skills profile
    1.3. Time commitment to study
    1.4. Careers for arts graduates
    1.5. The Faculty of Arts' Asian focus
    1.6. Arts departments, schools and centres
        1.6.1. Departments and schools
        1.6.2. Centres and Programs

1. Arts: the critical faculty

Arts at the University of Melbourne offers an exciting and rewarding study experience. Students are part of a vibrant academic community at one of the most established and diverse faculties in Australia. The Faculty remains at the forefront of teaching and research in languages, creative arts, humanities and social sciences. It aims to attract the most talented students and staff to inspire original research across a wide range of contemporary and traditional disciplines.

Arts embraces a variety of challenging and innovative study programs that draw on more than 900 subjects in over 50 areas of study. This diversity reflects the continuing strengths of traditional fields of study as well as the dynamism of emergent areas of critical inquiry. Students are encouraged to tailor their academic interests and professional aspirations with a variety of course options. They will develop expertise in research, critical analysis and communications. These skills are indispensable in preparing students for further research and employment in an internationally competitive environment.

Students will benefit from highly developed systems for the delivery of multimedia teaching and learning. These new digital technologies have been incorporated into traditional methods of teaching to equip students with the skills required to navigate an increasingly technology-oriented world. An arts degree offers a unique combination of skills, readily transferable from one career to the next; for example, highly developed analytic and critical thinking skills. In combination with the flexible outlook and global approach encouraged by the Faculty, these skills enable arts graduates to take advantage of every career opportunity.

The Faculty of Arts is committed to providing an attractive learning, research and working environment in a stimulating collegiate atmosphere for students and staff.

1.1. Faculty objectives

The Faculty aims to:

1.2. Skills profile

Arts students are encouraged to pursue their academic interests and professional aspirations by taking a variety of subjects in a range of different areas of study. All arts subjects provide students with transferable generic skills that prepare them for further study and the workplace.

As a result of attendance at scheduled classes, participation in planned activities and discussion groups, and timely completion of essays and assignments, arts graduates should acquire transferable generic skills in the following areas:

1.3. Time commitment to study

Time management plays a key role in relation to successful university study. Students need to keep in mind that as well as scheduled contact hours for lectures, tutorials and seminars a considerable addition time commitment is needed to complete the academic requirements of each subject.

The Faculty recommends that full-time students do not undertake more than 10 hours of paid work per week. Students must make sure that they have sufficient time and resources to successfully complete their studies. On-going work commitments will not usually be grounds for extensions for the submission of work or for special consideration.

A subject-specific time commitment to study will be provided by your lecturer or tutor at the beginning of semester to help you schedule your workload and successfully manage your time during the semester. Below are estimates of the total time commitment required to study a 12.5-point single semester subject in the Faculty of Arts.

Total time commitment to study a standard 12.5-point arts subject:

Total time commitment to study a language acquisition subject:

1.4. Careers for arts graduates

Employment opportunities for arts graduates reflect the scope and volume of subjects and disciplines available for study. Depending upon the subjects you choose, your arts degree may be directed toward specific vocational skills in areas such as criminology, psychology, or archaeology, or it may help you develop a range of more general skills which are applicable right across the job sector. More specialist degrees such as creative arts, media and communications, public policy and management or social work provide specific skills for particular sectors of the work force.

Arts graduates come to the job market as flexible, highly literate and well-informed individuals with excellent communication skills. In the course of your degree you will develop expertise in research methods and problem solving, and in written and spoken communication. You will learn to use these skills to harness your own creative and critical thinking to the effective analysis, organisation, and presentation of complex material. These are all highly marketable skills which employers in a wide range of organisations recognise as desirable, and which you can carry with you as you develop your career in one or more directions.

Combined with your personal interests and talents, an arts degree is valuable preparation for a variety of career paths and for leadership and management roles in many fields. The University's Graduate Destination Survey shows that the Faculty's graduates often gain employment in professional areas which are closely related to the subjects they have studied. Arts research skills are applicable in the workplace in many different contexts from research for politicians or trade unions, to market research. Many arts graduates also enter the business, corporate and government sectors in graduate trainee schemes.

Arts graduates are able to transfer the skills they acquire across many sectors, and may become administrators in government, the diplomatic service, the arts, commerce or industry. Arts graduates can become archivists, historians, criminologists, policy advisors, psychologists, researchers, social workers, publishers, journalists, media and advertising professionals, curators in art galleries and museums, art conservationists, theatre directors, writers, poets, film directors and producers. Detailed graduate student profiles can be found at http://www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/about/careers.

Graduates are also well placed to upgrade and increase their skills by pursuing further study to gain a professional qualification, such as the Bachelor of Social Work, the Bachelor of Public Policy and Management, the Bachelor of Teaching (offered by the Faculty of Education), through further research work leading to a Master of Arts or PhD, or by completing a coursework Masters with a specific vocational focus in areas such as cinema management, publishing and communications, and public history and heritage.

For more details about further study options, see Options for further study or visit the University's on-line Postgraduate Studies Catalogue at http://psc.unimelb.edu.au/courses.

1.5. The Faculty of Arts' Asian focus

The Faculty and the University acknowledges that teaching Asian-focused subjects is crucial at a time of rapid globalisation and social change. Arts students wishing to include Asian-focused studies within their qualifications will find a broad range of subjects taught by experts in the Asian region.

The Faculty offers a comprehensive range of subjects in the rich intellectual, cultural, legal, economic, political and religious traditions of Asia, with a focus on China, Indonesia, Japan, the Middle East and Southeast Asian and Pacific societies. Asian studies subjects are normally taught in English and do not require language prerequisites. Students wishing to complete an Asian studies major within the Bachelor of Arts major might also wish to study an Asian language.

Students might focus on Asian studies in the Faculty of Arts by:

Graduates may choose to enhance their qualifications by enrolling in an Asian-focused postgraduate coursework program:

For further details about the Asian-focused subjects within the Faculty of Arts and the Asian studies major see Asian Studies.

1.6. Arts departments, schools and centres

1.6.1. Departments and schools

1.6.2. Centres and Programs

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